Battalion
='BATTALION'= A battalion is a military unit or formation of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a lieutenant colonel or a colonel. Several battalions are grouped to form a regiment or a brigade. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead. There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such as a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization. A battalion is generally the smallest military unit capable of independent operations (i.e., not attached to a higher command), although many armies have smaller units that are self-sustaining. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalion will ordinarily be homogeneous with respect to type (e.g., an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions. Every battalion will also include some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company. The term is Italian in origin, appearing as battaglione. The French changed the spelling to bataillon, whereupon it directly entered into German. 'United States Army' In the United States Army, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two or more batteries, companies or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (A Battery, A Company, A Troop, etc.). Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments. A US Army battalion includes the battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel ), his staff, and headquarters, the command sergeant major (CSM), and usually 3–5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 soldiers. Starting in 2005–2006 with transformation, the U.S. Army mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into combined arms battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two armor companies, an engineer company, and a forward support company. This new structure eliminated the need to cross-post (or as it is more commonly referred to, cross-attach) companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each heavy brigade is composed of two CABs, an armored reconnaissance squadron, a fires battalion (field artillery), a special troops battalion (STB), and a brigade support battalion (BSB). 'United States Marine Corps ' A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually a major), the sergeant major, and the executive staff (S-1 through S-8). The battalion headquarters is supported by a Headquarters and Service Company. A battalion usually contains 2–5 organic companies, with a total of 500 to 1,200 marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company, and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments – three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments – three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments – two or more combat logistics battalions). In the USA Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB). A MEB is one of the standard Marine air-ground task forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine air group), and a service support element (a Marine logistics group, which includes naval construction force (SEABEEs) and naval medical elements). In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or rifle battalion typically consists of a Headquarters and Service Company (H&S Co.), three rifle, or line, companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under Theatre of War II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in "reserve" for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed. United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into battalion landing teams (BLTs) as the ground combat element (GCE) of a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU). A "standard" U.S. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance marines, and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization. Often Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to the battalion, to coordinate naval gunfire support. <<<< BACK Category:Battalion Category:United States Military Formations Category:United States Army Formations Category:United States Marine Corp Formations Category:Military Formations Category:Tau'ri Formations Category:United States Marine Corps Formations Category:Tau'ri Military Formations